Self-immolater Silman laid to rest in Holon

Moshe Silman, who self-immolated last week in an act of protest against the government's economic policies, was laid to rest in Holon on Sunday afternoon after dying of his wounds on Friday.

Zvi Devir, a leading activist in the social justice movement in Haifa who said he knew Silman personally, rejected responsibility on behalf of his fellow activists for the series of self-immolations across the country over the past few days, placing the blame for the situation on the government.

"Somebody that I knew put an end to his life, but I don't feel guilty --the government should," he said. "We gave Silman more than the government gave him. The government shut all the doors on him."

Devir said the safety net for the country's needy was insufficient, forcing people like Silman into acts of desperation. He believed Silman would not have set himself on fire at the rally in Tel Aviv marking the first anniversary of the start of the social justice movement last week if he had been granted three months temporary housing.